At Fashion Week events, the goal of many in New York is to wear outlandish and over the top looks in an effort to attract the paparazzi and become the latest street style darling. While that’s all well and good, I prefer to showcase my style that looks good and works well everywhere I go. What I wore in New York is the same thing that works for me at home.
As I hit the end of my New York Fashion Week looks, I couldn’t help but choose a great tailored look. For most of the week, I was trying to do different takes on the suit such as using a lightweight puffer or moto jacket in place of a blazer. And on one day I was more laidback by wearing a patterned casual shirt, no tie and high-tops. While these looks were edgy and fun, I found myself heading back to a traditional suited look.
I like a navy suit and this time I picked for a double-breasted suit. I like to think of this as my power suit but it’s not like the power suits that were popular in the eighties. Gone are the big shoulder pads and bulkiness that was popular nearly thirty years ago. The updated version has a much more modern fit with much softer shoulders I’m actually a fan of this style because for a tall guy, I’m 6’2”; it has a nice sliming effect.
A great suit especially if it’s tailored well can make you feel like a million dollars. Even a less expensive suit can look amazing when it’s adjusted to your body. Since most men are not exactly off the rack size, slight alterations can make all the difference in the world.
When buying a suit you’ll want to make sure it fits in the shoulders; too big and you will recapture look of the eighties. Too small and you could end up looking like a human sausage. You will also probably need to shorten the sleeves. You should look to show about ¼ to ½ an inch of your dress shirtsleeve. Next the waist may need to be taken in. You want to create a V-shape in your upper body and shift away from a more boxy look of the off the rack suit.
For the pants, you may need to have them taken in or let out. You may be able to get around this if the suit is sold as separates which many brands now do. Finally the pants should be hemmed. Here you have a variety of choices cuff or no cuff and also how much ankle do you want to show which is the break. If it’s Thom Browne then the answer is a lot (no break). I tend to go for a slight break or no break that essentially means my socks or in this case my ankles will show. This works well with more modern cut suits.
Double-breasted navy tonal pinstripe suit: Armani; Striped dress shirt: Polo; Geometric patterned tie: Turnbull and Asser; Lapel Pin: Hook and Albert; Dress shoes: Louis Vuitton
